When it comes to ailing rural economies, the municipalities in Shelburne County are doing better than many areas.

There is no question it is a struggle out there in a region that has relied heavily on the fishing industry.

Lobster prices are low and the financial impact of losing the Yarmouth ferry to Maine has meant fewer tourists sweeping along the coastal communities. Continuing population erosion over the past few decades and the struggle to deliver services to the people who live in the area have been a challenge.

But there are bright spots, particularly two significant provincial government investments, that are pumping life into the Shelburne County economy.

The Dexter government has pumped $8.8 million in provincial money toward upgrading the Irving-owned ship-repair facility in Shelburne and has provided $25-million in provincial grants for Cooke Aquaculture as part of a $150-million provincewide company expansion.

The New Brunswick-based companies are both involved in major upgrading and expansions in this province, with Shelburne receiving much of the benefit on the aquaculture portfolio. Cooke’s Shelburne expansion is expected to bring 350 direct jobs with a $32-million payroll, with an additional 640 spinoff jobs predicted, according to the NDP government.

Still, all is not well.

Municipal leaders in the area have indicated they intend to seek a court injunction in an effort to prevent the former Shelburne seat from being split in half, with half of the county being partnered with Queens County in a new seat, while the western portion will be merged into the new Barrington-Argyle constituency.

There are five municipalities within the old county lines: the three towns of Shelburne, Lockeport and Clark’s Harbour, plus the two rural municipal districts of Shelburne and Barrington.

The total population of Shelburne County has declined by about 3,000 people over the past three decades, with the 2011 census indicating 14,500 people live within the county boundaries.

That depopulation is a reoccurring theme throughout the province’s southwestern region, which is the primary reason why the final report of the province’s electoral boundaries commission recommended that a seat be removed from the region.

No matter how the existing provincial seats were to be sliced and what sort of boundary changes had been proposed to the legislature last fall, there is no denying the reality of the population numbers or the continuing downward trend.

There is no question that rural communities tend to be more attached to their political boundaries than is the case in urban seats, where more rapid population growth has led to frequent boundary adjustments that seem to be much less controversial.

I am reluctant to tear the scab off the wound of the issue of minority Acadian seats in the southwestern region, Argyle and Clare, both of which lost their protected status in the boundaries approved in the House last fall.

To many people in those two areas, there isn’t even a scab, just an angry wound over a perceived loss of representation for Acadian voters.

There is no question that after the uproar over the Argyle and Clare seats, coupled with the rejected proposal to split the Yarmouth seat in half as a means of dealing with new boundaries, Shelburne was the last-minute alternative when it came to slicing up existing ridings.

Now Shelburne County’s five municipal leaders are considering legal action to prevent the boundary changes from being implemented for the next election. The Federation acadienne de la Nouvelle-Ecosse has promised its own lawsuit to challenge the loss of minority protection.

The legislature’s decisions may be challenged, but the House of Assembly holds the power to change the boundaries.

For Shelburne County residents, the change in three centuries of history is difficult to swallow. But communities should be about the people who live within them, more so than political boundaries that require change to reflect the realities of population changes.

Shelburne County has taken a political loss on the boundary issue, but it has won financially on other fronts, more so than some of the economically challenged areas in rural Nova Scotia.

The actions of the municipal leaders do reflect the sentiment felt by the people in the Shelburne riding, but the likelihood of success in an expensive court process is slim.

There are other battles to fight and more pressing issues that require their attention.